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South Korean President lee jae myung asked the Chinese President Xi Jinping make more efforts to persuade north korea to return to talks as the two leaders on Saturday agreed to a set of agreements to expand their economic and other ties.
The meeting came hours after he and other Asia-Pacific leaders concluded their annual summit in South Korea with a joint statement promising stronger economic cooperation. The meeting came a day after Xi and the US President held a two-day Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in the city of Gyeongju. donald trump Agreed to roll back earlier steps and reduce their trade war.
According to Chinese state media, during his meeting with Li, Xi called on Seoul to work with Beijing to “practice genuine multilateralism” as he continued to position Beijing as a defender of the global trade order in the face of Trump’s sweeping tariffs.
Xi, Lee discuss North Korea
Chinese state media reports on the Xi-Li meeting did not immediately provide any North Korea-related comments from Xi.
However, Lee’s national security director, Wi Sung-lak, said that during the meeting Lee outlined his strategy to achieve denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula and “urged a constructive Chinese role in helping to resume dialogue with North Korea.”
“Xi responded that he would continue his efforts to resolve issues related to the Korean Peninsula and help promote peace and stability here,” Wi said.
China is North Korea’s traditional ally and economic pipeline, but questions remain about how much influence it has over its impoverished neighbor. China has long been suspected of avoiding fully enforcing UN sanctions on North Korea and sending covert aid shipments to help keep the North afloat and serve as a bulwark against US influence on the Korean Peninsula.
Pyongyang reacted sharply to the North Korea issue in the Li-Xi meeting. North Korean Vice Foreign Minister Pak Myong Ho on Saturday criticized South Korea for talking about “its daydream” of realizing North Korea’s denuclearization.
Lee, a supporter of reconciliation with North Korea, had said earlier Saturday that he would take “more active preventive steps” to reduce military tensions with the North, stressing that peace on the Korean Peninsula is essential to the prosperity of the Asia-Pacific region.
Lee’s office said South Korea and China signed several agreements to jointly combat online scams, expand a bilateral free trade agreement and renew a currency swap deal that expired last month.
APEC leaders call for greater cooperation
After two days of talks, APEC leaders vowed greater cooperation to tackle shared challenges in a global economy hit by rising protectionism and trade tensions between the world’s two largest economies, the United States and China.
Their joint statement announced that APEC leaders “recognize that the global trading system continues to face significant challenges.”
“We reaffirm our shared belief that strong trade and investment are vital to the growth and prosperity of the Asia-Pacific region,” it added.
Professor Jeonghun Min of the National Diplomatic Academy of South Korea said the statement avoided direct language supporting “free and open trade”, which would not have received support from the United States, but still supported economic cooperation and multilateralism at the core of APEC’s mission.
“It was not possible to abandon it completely,” Min said.
The joint declaration also said APEC members are committed to Putrajaya Vision 2040, a new 20-year development vision adopted in 2020 that calls for a business environment that is “free, open, fair, non-discriminatory, transparent and predictable.”
APEC leaders discuss AI and population issues
While the opening session of the summit on Friday focused on ways to promote trade and investment, cooperation in the field of artificial intelligence, demographic challenges and cultural industries were on the agenda of Saturday’s meeting.
APEC leaders also issued two separate statements on Saturday. One called for a coordinated approach to the changes brought about by AI, which he described as a potential economic catalyst that also presents challenges in a rapidly evolving digital environment. Others urged cooperation to address declining birth rates, growing populations, and accelerated urbanization.
Trump, known for his rejection of multilateralism, left South Korea shortly after the deal with Xi, leaving the Chinese president to grab the headlines at the APEC summit.
On Friday, Xi told the summit that China would support global free trade and supply chain stability — an apparent effort to position his country as an alternative to Trump’s protectionist policies. In written remarks sent to the CEO summit held in conjunction with APEC, Xi said that “investing in China is investing in the future.”
Established in 1989, APEC is a proponent of free and open trade and investment to promote regional economic integration. But the sector is now facing challenges such as US-China rivalry, supply chain disruption, growing population and the impact of AI on jobs.